The Way
Come and See: The First Disciples
An invitation at four in the afternoon
Story
Bethany beyond the Jordan. John, who only the day before had cried out that Jesus was the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, was standing with two of his disciples when Jesus passed by, and he pointed to him. Look, the Lamb of God. Hearing this, the two disciples quietly followed him. Jesus turned and asked them, what are you looking for?
Rabbi, where are you staying? He answered. Come and see. The two went with him and saw where he was staying. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, one of the two who spent that day with him, went straight to find his brother Simon. We have found the Messiah. Jesus looked at Simon and said, you are Simon, son of John. From now on I will call you Cephas.
The next day, as he was about to leave for Galilee, Jesus found Philip of Bethsaida and called him. Follow me. Philip went to find Nathanael and told him the news. We have found the one Moses and the prophets wrote about, Jesus of Nazareth. Nathanael asked back, can anything good come out of Nazareth? He was unimpressed, but when Jesus said he had seen him under the fig tree, he gave way completely and confessed. Rabbi, you are the Son of God.
Walk this scene on the map →His Words
What are you looking for? Come and see.
You are Simon, son of John. From now on you will be called Cephas.
Before Philip called you, while you were under the fig tree, I saw you.
Teacher, you are the Son of God. You are the King of Israel!
Look! Here is God’s Lamb, who carries away the sin of the world.
The sayings are fresh renderings of the original meaning in today's language. Text: Jn 1:29–51
Background
'The tenth hour' counts from sunrise in the Jewish way, so it means about four in the afternoon. 'Cephas' is Aramaic for rock; in Greek it is 'Peter'.
Pause and Reflect
Who told me about Jesus? Who do I want to tell about him?